April 19, 2011 | 8:00 AM | By

Ten sips from “Three Cups of Deceit” — starting in Seattle

FILED UNDER: Basics, 60 Minutes, CBS News, Central Asia Institute, Greg Mortenson, Jon Krakauer, Three Cups of Tea, Tom Hornbein

Flickr, aubergene

Jon Krakauer describes Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Deceit,” and its Seattle origins.

By now, most of you have probably heard something about the allegations of literary fabrication and financial misdeeds of the celebrated humanitarian Greg Mortenson, author of the inspiring book Three Cups of Tea.

The accusations were aired on CBS last Sunday, on 60 Minutes.

Now, fellow mountain climber and author Jon Krakauer — one of the early Seattle supporters of Mortenson’s philanthropic efforts — has written a much more detailed, and potentially devastating, account of what he says went wrong with this effort to bring education and empowerment to the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It all began in Seattle.

Krakauer’s treatise called Three Cups of Deceit came out following the CBS News report. (It is now offered online free, for 72 hours, by Byliner.com … after which it self-destructs?)

For those who want to know more than the abbreviated version of the allegations raised on 60 Minutes, I do recommend reading it. (Makes me wonder who got on to this story first — Krakauer or CBS News.)

For those who want to know more but don’t want to read all 90 pages, here are Krakauer’s main points:

  • The financial impetus for Greg Mortenson’s effort to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan came in Seattle. A pioneering physicist and electronics expert who lived here, the late Jean Hoerni, met with Mortenson in Seattle and donated the seed money — $12,000 first, $250,000 later.
  • The famed mountaineer and Seattle resident Tom Hornbein, former chief of anesthesiology at the UW, was recruited in 1999 to assist with fund-raising for Mortenson’s new Central Asia Institute (CAI).
  • Hornbein recruited Krakauer to host a big fund-raiser at Seattle Town Hall where he was asked to introduce Mortenson and endorse his cause. He did and later ended up donating $75,000 to the CAI.
  • In 2002, Hornbein and others resigned from the board of CAI claiming that Mortenson was refusing to inform them or be held financially accountable. One former board member, Gordon Wiltsie, told Krakauer at the time that he was quitting because: “Greg regards CAI as his personal ATM.”
  • In 2006, when Three Cups of Tea was published, the new CAI board increased Mortenson’s salary to $145,000. Mortenson resolved to turn CAI “into a promotion-and-fund-raising machine” by launching what amounted to a perpetual book tour, Krakaeur writes.
  • In 2006, CAI’s total revenue amounted to $1.6 million. In 2007 it was $3.8 million and in 2008, it ballooned to $14.1 million. In 2009 (the most recent year for which CAI has filed a tax return), it was $14.3 million. In 2010, according to statements by Mortenson, CAI received more than $20 million in donations.
  • On April 16, 2011, the CAI board of directors asserted, “Greg has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organization ….” Krakauer says such claims appear to contradict financial statements posted on CAI’s website.
  • CAI has paid virtually all of the expenses incurred by Mortenson, Relin, and at least some of his uncredited ghostwriters while they were researching, writing, and promoting the books.This has included private jets.
  • In a confidential memo dated January 3, 2011, an attorney who examined CAI’s most recent federal tax return advised Mortenson and the board of directors that CAI’s outlays for book advertising and travel expenses for Mortenson’s speaking engagements appeared to be in violation of the tax code.
  • “For a charity that exists to help the poor in the developing world,” says Daniel Borochoff, president of the charity watchdog the American Institute of Philanthropy, “this is pretty outrageous behavior. Mortenson is acting as if CAI was his own private business. It’s not. He’s using the public’s money.”

Jon Krakauer

Krakauer (who now lives in Colorado) goes on to note that Mortenson’s Pennies for Peace program (P4P) has raised nearly $2 million by asking hundreds of thousands of children at nearly three thousand schools to donate lunch money to CAI, and that most of the funds have gone to promote book sales.

He also says that Mortenson’s claim to be building schools to battle Taliban recruitment in militant-thick parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan is false — just as was his claim to have been held hostage by Taliban fighters and his original claim of being rescued by villagers in Korphe.

Wikimedia

Greg Mortenson

Mortenson has built some schools in remote areas and deserves credit for that, Krakauer writes. But he hasn’t been as successful at putting teachers and students in the buildings, the author says, or building nearly as many as he claimed. Staff at CAI are mostly devoted to supporting the promotional activities, Krakauer says, rather than actually getting schools staffed and functioning.

Mortenson has done a great deal of good, Krakauer writes, promoting the value of girls education and probably actually benefiting tens of thousands of children. But, he says:

It is now evident, however, that Mortenson recklessly betrayed this trust, damaging his credibility beyond repair.

The cause that Mortenson has championed is incredibly important and worthy of support. Krakauer, who admits to bitterness at being “conned” by Mortenson, says he believes the Central Asia Institute and its mission can be “salvaged” and restored to its noble purpose — but only if it does so without Mortenson.

  • Chrisannwest

    To say this is SO disappointing to me is a vast understatement. Three Cups of Tea is one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read, I have bought the book for so many people, and the thought and principles behind it gave me hope. I rarely have such regard for a man; who values the education of women, and builds bridges and schools. Can’t there be one person who is incorruptible?

  • Kanani

    Krakauer had every RIGHT to be disillusioned and appalled. He gave over 70k to the CAI before discovering that all was not square.
    Look the mission of bringing literacy, education and healthcare to women and girls in Afghanistan is MUCH BIGGER than Greg. It always has been. Fortunately there are other organizations who have been working steadily on the same mission –including our own service members. Let the small NPOs who have been working on a shoe string have a voice, and let them reap some of the funds that might have gone to CAI, and now can be put to work more effectively elsewhere. I’ve written two posts on my blog, The Kitchen Dispatch.

  • Lindsay

    Was there more to the story than was portrayed in the book? Most likely. Is there more to the story now? Most definitely. Please adhere to stricter journalism and provide more perspectives to this nuanced issue.

    For those who want to know more but don’t want only one side of the story:

    Mortensen’s responses to the allegations in Outside Magazine: http://bit.ly/g7LbLn

    A supportive journalist’s perspective: http://bit.ly/i3fZss

  • Terry

    Devastating information. I never want to discrredit anybody writing about anything, geesh the world is complicated and there are 8 billion or more lens to look through, but it looks like pretty good journalism has come up with the allegations. I agree with some messages below in being disappointed to the basement of my soul…I just saw him here in Spokane, the presentation was so powerful…we are left so few avenues to do good work in the world…

  • Clio200

    I am a history professor at a college where David O. Relin came to speak. All incoming freshmen were given free copies of Three Cups of Tea as required reading for their freshman orientation class. I was very reticent about it all because I thought it an exceptionally badly written book in which many details simply did not ring true: Why was he by himself with the porter on the descent? (incredibly dangerous if you know that particular peak) Where was his team? There is no way a porter would ‘lose’ his client. It just doesn’t happen in the way in which he described. I was equally taken aback that Ahmed Rashid supported this book because there was absolutely no historical or cultural contextualization throughout the entire narrative (Ahmed wrote Taliban, amongst other books and is a Pakistani journalist who is considered expert on Afghanistan)

    And then there was the Taliban episode. What? They were there in 1996? Hmmm. Ok. But then all of a sudden dozens of schools pop up at the end of the narrative with little explanation about the actually logistics. Hmmm. I kept my mouth shut because the students were excited about it.

    Then Relin came to speak. We heard about his motorcyle trip through Vietnam and his current ‘work’ in Nepal under harrowing conditions. The tone was that of self-serving, smug know-it-all taking up the ‘white man’s burden.’ So condescending.

    Today, my students are very disappointed and feel betrayed. I also a teach a senior seminar and one of my students is doing her thesis on NGOs working in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Everyone learned something, and fortunately at least these students will be better informed about what actually happens in these regions. So, thanks Greg for giving me a teachable moment

  • Dorjeeknows

    so sorry to hear that. I know a few people too who recommended it to me and they were obviously very impressed and thought the world of him and his charity work. It is really a big slap for these people to learn about such misconduct and misrepresentation. I am truly dissappointed with this person. I am glad I didn’t read his book.

  • Rich

    Don’t be so hard on the guy. Some of his story was true. You don’t really expect people to be 100% honest, do you? Be glad he gave you something magical to believe in. It was a pretty lie. Kids need a Santa Claus. Evidently you do too.

  • Vincentomoh

    They’ve considered the responses, Lindsay. They still don;t like what Mortenson did

  • Vincentomoh

    That’s even worse. He needs to make sure his egg isn’t crackable. Once his credibility goes, he won’t recover

  • http://www.elitelawyerproject.com/blog Kim

    Very glad to see this post. Our book club did the book and of course loved it. Being from the Bozeman, MT area he was a local hero. VERY RELIEVED we did not follow through on fund raising efforts we were initially planning. Very sad state of affiars.

  • divinerite

    When I read 3 Cups of Tea, I bought some of the stories. I didn’t believe the Kidnapping sequence (because it wasn’t very realistic.) or the negative talk about the Taliban and Madrassas (because it wasn’t very true.) I just finished reading 3 Cups of Deceit. The information was carefully compiled and written as objectively as a person in the author’s position could do. What I do hope for, is that Mr. Mortensen receive the help and healing to restore integrity within himself.

  • Dorjeeknows

    well, if it is going to be a magical story then tell me it is Lord of the rings or something because that is my fav. book. His story was based on it being a true story and that was the underlying beauty of his book. He didn’t sugarcoat some parts. He made up the main premise of his story which that he was kidnapped by taliban people when they were just folks helping him out and showing their hospitality. That is just rotten in my book. And just like when you find out something like Santa Claus is fake, you lost the magic. I don’t like being lied to or taken for a ride, especially when a book is supposed to be a place of escape.

  • Shiftingsands

    Mr. K,
    Why don’t you use your literary talents on how health insurance companies screw middle and lower class Americans . . . how about writing about Goldman Sachs or similar companies that reap billions of dollars and pay their CEOs accordingly. Sounds like a bit of sour grapes feeling at having given $75K to CAI. You should have kept it or maybe donated to some other charity. You really think you are something else, parlaying all of the heresay and innuendo. Hopefully you will make some money on your Three Cups of D at $3 a Kindle copy.

    Geolog

  • Ellyconrad

    I have often considered Greg Mortensen’s work an example of the positive changes that one person can make in the world- it’s so disheartening to hear that he has been exploiting people who believed in his work. In my mind, he’s changed from a hero into a greedy, self-serving egotist. Hopefully, this won’t discourage others from working to make the world a better place.

  • Guest

    Wait, you’re a history professor and didn’t realise that the Taliban were in Afghanistan in 1996? They emerged from the war against the Soviets…

  • putinthework

    I recall my inspiration from the core ideas at the foundation of Three Cups of Tea and my desire/willingness to contribute to something that appears to address so many important issues. While it was some time ago, I also remember thinking that the book made it clear that Mr. Mortenson and the CAI were barely able to manage the money they had at the time, let alone what I assumed would be flowing in after the popularity of the book.

    So … I did a little homework, found a great NGO that was professionally managed by people that also had passion and vision and that’s where my money went. Take the book and its author for what they are (inspiring) and instead of focusing your energy on your disillusionment, do a bit of work yourself and find a way to support action.

  • Dahe47

    David
    Very sad in all respects . Dr Mortenson has clearly done some very commendable things but it appears has embelished much of his actions , in print , in an unforgiveable way .
    My wife and family have been working with remote communities in Nepal , in a veryy small way for many years and had always admired the apparent exceptional success of CAI and Dr M, but could never understand why there was no detail regarding so much of the logistical complexities of providing the teachers and getting the kids to the schools .
    While the Taliban ” Kidnapping – imprisonments ” always did not ring true , naively we accepted everything as written . I am desperately disappointed –

    If any readers want a new channel for their energies , financial support the nepali NGO we work through can be found by googleing CBSD Nepal ( Community Building For Sustainable Development )

  • guest

    No, the book said that the Taliban were in Pakistan at that time.

  • Clio200

    Where though? The border is huge. Honestly it has been ten years since I read the book. THAT SAID, Rashid made it a point to say that the number of drug addicts, thanks to the Taliban funding their efforts through trafficking, had grown exponentially on both sides of the border. The truth is that Mortenson was trying to make Pakistan look like it does today (more radicalized in these regions) than it was in 1996.

  • Clio200

    Of course i knew about the Taliban in Afghaniistan. i was taken aback in mortenson’s writings regarding Pakistan in 1996. Enough already. The real issue is failed states and their inability to educate. Time to give THEM the tools to educate
    themselves,

  • 88cellardoors

    Did you read the byliner.com page at all? “All author proceeds will go to the Stop Girl Trafficking Project” …

  • Timlapage

    If he has lost his way now maybe is no surprise … he obviously was not a financial planner or even wise an money matters – he clearly never had any!

    Those who gave and followed his story should not be disappointed, for he has been a shining light and achieved much in an impossibly difficult place. That should not, and cannot be taken away…. he has in fact changed the lives of many … even if not as many as one might have hoped.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jacki-Whitford/1633244435 Jacki Whitford

    Three Cups of Deceit was available for free for a short time. Now it is available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99. All proceeds go to charity to help stop human trafficking.

  • Marcus Rossi

    The Taliban did not emerge directly from the war against the Soviets. They were not even on the scene until 1994, when Mullah Omar first formed his religious students (“Taliban”) into a local security and later political movement. They were born more out of the internal strife due to Afghan’s civil war than the than the previous war against the Soviets. They took power in Afghanistan in Sept 1996.

  • Guest

    Not to cast aspertions to a great extent. But reading a book about charity and then “not following through” is precisely what makes all of us Americans so shallow. You should re-examine your thoughts about donating and find a worthy cause for your efforts. That you abadoned your efforts after reading the books is also very disappointing. Not trying to single you out – but you did post here.

  • Pita Morelos

    There are other people who do what Mortenson does, and without conning people. I.E. the Agha Khan Development Network

  • WJS

    Yes, the Taliban was present in both Pakistan and Afghanistan during 1996. It was during this period of time that the Taliban was at war with the Northern Alliance.

    Doesn’t affect your criticism of Mortensen…

  • Harrison179

    interested as to what NGO you chose to support. My students are hoping to redirect their pennies. KHarrison

  • Guest

    One thing about this attack on Greg bothered me and so I read the book again. There is nowhere in Three Cups of Tea where he claims to have been held by Taliban. The book claims that he was held captive by local thugs, not Taliban. Sometimes it is important to go back to the source before believing all of the mud slinging.

  • Sahib :D

    Hi my name is sahib and i say This Is not True

  • Person

    My school had to read the children’s edition of the book (*Grumble* they couldn’t get enough of the adult version) and in there, there is no mention of them being Taliban, but signs point toward it. However, perhaps in the other version they do state that they are taliban

  • GuestDan

    Who profited from the Three Cups of Tea book sales? Were CAI funds being used to promote profits for Mortenson or that would be reinvested in CIA?

    I haven’t seen anything yet that proves this is more than just a terribly bad case of bookkeeping and overzealousness by Mortenson.

  • Lindsay

    Agreed.

  • Shwco

    @Terry ~~ “looks like pretty good journalism” eh?

    I recommend watching it again. First, count the number of accusations which are communicated to us SOLELY via hearsay, not directly from the speaker (a past staffer or board member, etc.). Second, count the number that are communicated only via Krakauer… “60 Minutes” didn’t even bother to follow the old Woodward-and-Bernstein credo: make sure to have at least 2 independent sources for every fact reported.

    Why not wait for the Montana AG’s report? And the investigation announced immediately by Penguin / Viking Books?

    If you need something to look into while you wait, how about these:

    >David Oliver Relin originally said he was the sole author of “3 Cups of Tea.” What does HE have to say about the accusation of lies, inaccuracies, embellishments? Has he published or broadcast anything since 4/17?

    >While trying to stay up to date on all this, I’ve yet to see any EVIDENCE of Mr. Mortenson’s self-enrichment. Some fancy travel expenses certainly don’t account for the many millions supposedly lost. Folks in Bozeman report no luxurious lifestyle there. Why hasn’t anyone “followed the money” to find Swiss bank accounts or real estate purchases or a Caymen Islands hideout?

  • Shwco

    Lots of papers and blogs are encouraging us to use this brouhaha as a lesson about vetting those we donate to.

    To me, it’s more about “heros” and “greedy, self-serving egotists.” Why so eager to find / name / believe in a hero? Why so quick to turn on your hero and label him or her a villain?

    Perhaps if we were slower to rush in where angels fear to tread we would also be slower to cry foul. Moderation in all things?

  • Cncrnprincess

     Not sure moderation is what works in such troubled regions.  While I liked to call Mortensen a hero, which was probably idealistic and rash, I still commend his ability to open the eyes of so many people to a complex problem that needs the help of visionaries.  Moderation does not solve problems of this scale

  • Anonymous

    Wouldn’t girls be less prone to becoming vulnerable to trafficking if they had an EDUCATION? How bizarre is that move? Mortenson’s work involves trying to empower them and allow them choices…through EDUCATION – that’s the whole dang point. This seems like an opportunist deflecting….something.

  • Guest

    Yes and if it actually did that as opposed to paying him, we wouldn’t be having this discussion! Nobody is saying that what he purports to be doing is not a noble cause, we just want more of the funds raised to actually be DOING it, rather than paying him and padding sales of his books.

  • Phoenix

    When our PK-8th graders watched the Sixty Minutes show on Greg Mortenson, they were shocked, puzzled, disappointed, flabbergasted — a whole range of emotions.  “But what of our giant jar of pennies we have collected?” was their cry.  “Is all this true?”  We’re not sure, so they have undertaken a research project to see what they can find out.  Thank goodness for a teachable moment, but so sad if this is all true.  Will we ever know for sure?  Maybe the answer will lie in the IRS audit.

  • Edwardallen54

    I am glad to read that someone else wasn’t impressed by Three Cups of Tea. I was watching something recently when a novelist familiar with Pakistan mentioned that he felt it probably was a scene something like being in Atlanta in 1863 during the height of the Civil War when when some French visitors who didn’t speak English showed up accompanied by women dressed as what the locals thought whores looked like, and told the Atlanta leaders through their interpreters they were there to build schools for young girls.

  • patirnceplease

    He only goes after those too weak to fight back… Like non-English speaking Sherpas or understaffed NGOs struggling to be effective in war-torn areas….

  • Kevin Murray

    WEDNESDAY, 3 AUGUST, 2011

    How a Hero Can Fall – the decline of Greg Mortenson

    I was killing time today in the Indigo store in Charlottetown while my wife was looking for a good book.  I stumbled across Jon Krakauer’s Three Cups of Deceit.  
    This was the book that came out just after 60 Minutes did an expose on Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute.  Mortenson was the main character in the books  
    Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools.  The books are great stories about Mortenson’s near death experience while mountain climbing and his recovery in a tiny isolated village in Pakistan.  The books detail his experiences building schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. 
    According to 60 Minutes and Krakauer, much of what has been written is just not true.
    Mortenson and the CAI are now the subject of a number of investigations including one by the IRS.

    I didn’t contribute to the millions raised by this agency, yet I feel ripped off in another sense.  In my role as a teacher (and once upon a time as a teacher-librarian) I promoted and recommended these books to staff and students alike.  Positive messages, character matters, a helping hand to those in need; and all kinds of other cliches could be added to the message being told.  Now I find it may not be true. 

    The allegations surfaced in April.  There has been very little from Mortenson or the CAI in the months since to explain their book keeping or to address the accusations.

    I believe the whole story may have a very ugly ending for Greg Mortenson.

    The Three Cups of Deceit story is available online for free at http://images.bimedia.net/documents/Three_Cups_of_Deceit_Jon_Krakauer.pdf

    I have not read it yet, but I will post a follow up in a few days.

    The 60 minutes report can be viewed online at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7363068n

    http://kevin-iwasjustthinking.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-hero-can-fall-decline-of-greg.html

  • Guest

    I’ve noticed A LOT of negative comments…and that’s too bad. I believe that even though the main part of the book was a deciet it was still beautifully written. This book may not have been completely factual, but it was inspiring. It gave people hope and opened some eyes to the problems of the world. Sure, Mortenson lied about some parts, but that doesn’t mean that you have to throw rotten apples at him. If any of you monkies researched him you would realize that he HAS done SOME good. All of this hating on him is ridiculous and it wastes time. So, save your breath. The important thing is that this book inspired me to be thankful for what I have and to help those who are hardly getting by. Even though he lied, I owe Greg Mortenson a thank-you for showing me th beauty of caring, even a little (ok, I know that sounds corny, but whatever). So thanks.

  • Guest

    Wow…ok dude, settle down. My guess is that you hardly EVER do anything for anyone else. I’m also guessing that you are a person who just sits on his butt all day and complains. That’s annoying dude. If you don’t like it, change it. Mortenson may have lied but the fact remains that there are people in this world who need our help. Sitting and complaining about a single man wastes time and energy that could be spent actually doing something. Chill. It was a heart-warming story that inspired many people. End of story. Get over it.

  • Take the blinders off …..

    Ignorance really is bliss, is it not? Have a read of Krakaur’s well-researched book/treatise. Mortensen has been in all this mostly for himself. There are very many other ‘really dedicated’ individuals out there who would have done a far better job of putting donated money to good use. Mortensen worked mostly on making himself “rich & famous”, and had no qualms about conjuring, lying and blaspheming others to get there. I might suggest you give a pass on sitting there and “guessing” about others here, while eating up your Three Cups of Tea, and actually find your way to some actual facts. Personally, I’m “guessing” CAI will be shut down within 12 months for mis-use of funds under its charitable registration.

  • Take the blinders of …

    Try reading BOTH books (Mortensen’s and Krakaur’s); anyone commenting here without having read BOTH is not in any objective state. Krakaur’s has a picture of Mortensen standing amongst his protectors (NOT thugs NOT Taliban). I don’t imagine thugs or Taliban are big on letting their abducted hold an AK-47.

  • Take the blinders off……

    Read Krakaur’s book, then revisit your comments. Otherwise, you’ll just come across as a schlep.

  • Take the blinders off …..

    My sense tells me Mortensen has always been a greedy, self-serving egotist. He just needed a/his ’cause’ and CAI to make him rich & famous. He hasn’t always been that.

  • Take the blinders off …..

    While we all wait for the CAI auditors (Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co.) “explanations” I thought I’d gander at their website. It did bring me a couple of chuckles: (1) Like, who leaves/includes the name ‘Anderson’ in their CPA firm name anymore, following the Enron/Arthur Anderson debacle = meltdown!?!; (2) a professional services article — ‘Board Dysfunction: Why It Happens and What You Can Do About It

    By Randl Ockey

    LOL!!

  • Cbrown570

    I never thought the book sounded true.  Greg sounded so self-serving.  Although there is some satisfaction in having my feeling confirmed, it is sad that there is so much deceit in the world.
    Christine

  • guest

    WOW! You get OVER IT! You just wasted some valuable time telling someone else to not complain! Practice what you preach! “Chill’ 

  • GUEST!

    Blah Blah Bah…. REALLY I think it’s absurd to call someone ‘Shallow” because they “didn’t follow through” Hey buddy, no one is perfect! So glad you think you are. LAME! 

  • GUEST!

    BORING! 

  • Mr. Ed

    Dear Mr. Krakauer,
    Interseting. You might find even more success if you could expose the misrepresentation of Christ’s message by the subsequent power structures constructed on his behalf.
    Keep climbing up (freely) to more peace, through truth!
    Namaste